Knight2King
by unplottables
Summary: The chess game the trio plays at the end of PSSS is a metaphor for the Second War between the forces of good led by Albus Dumbledore, and the forces of evil led by Lord Voldemort. It
1. Default Chapter

**The chess game Harry, Ron, and Hermione play is a metaphor for the Second War.**

We, (ixchelmala and lizardlaugh), have had ongoing conversations, since mid November, following several hp_california meet ups, where various theories were disscussed. The role of the chess game in PS/SS was a recuring theory. We wondered what it might mean in the context of the series as a whole. Who are/were the various pieces, and what do they stand for?

We went nuts trying to figure it all out, and this is what we have come up with:

Two chess games were played in PS/SS -- the first by Quirrelmort, the second by the trio. Presumably, Quirrelmort played the side of black to get across in the first one.The second one, which will be disscussed here, is where Ron, Harry, and Hermione take the place of existing chess pieces: Knight, Rook, and Bishop and are set to play.

Chess was explained to us as a game where the object is to defend one's side.To win the game, one must make a variety of defensive and offensive moves. The trick to wining is to keep one's opponent guessing as to what move will be next.

What follows is a section-by-section analysis of what we believe the game represents to the players and to the characters themselves (a link to the full text of the passage examined follows at the end.):

1)

"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

Harry pulls open the door to a dark chamber, a metaphor of having lived in a dark closet all his life, then light flooding it with the knowledge of the wizarding world and his role in it.

2)

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly -- the towering white chessmen had no faces.

The stage is set; The first game has been fought (the one Quirrelmort played to get to the stone). Now the trio see the second game set for play, ready for action, much the way the second war is set waiting to be fought.

Then the detail of the height and scale is representative of the Trio's point of view on the Wizarding World around them and the wizards therein.

Lycoris (who came up with a chess theory about the same time we did) pointed out that the white chessmen have no faces, much like Death Eaters wearing faceless masks. The black pieces are representative of the _undercover_ nature the forces of good must operate under, as we see the clearest example of in OotP.

3)

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

The trio acknowledges that in order to win the game, they must actively play the game themselves, become chess pieces in the game, fighters of the war. ix had the brilliant observation that this is a metaphor for the trio making the decision of accepting their invitations to Hogwarts. Harry says: _What?_, not knowing what would entail -- the endeavor he is about to take on. Ron thinks it's obvious; he knows that's what is **expected from him**, being the one who knows about the world he lives in. Hermione says**How?**,accepting the invite, but wanting to know what she must do. Hermione needs knowledge, she needs a practical plan of action. Typical Hermione. 

4)

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we -- er -- have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.

"This needs thinking about..." he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces...."

At this point the Trio have not joined the game so they have no positions in the game. The Knight tells himself to play the game. Ron, the strategist, is the one who must direct the game. Ron has a dual role in this game. He is the metaphorical _player_, as well as the Knight. This will become very important to this theory later.

5)

Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess --"

"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.

In this role, Ron is the one giving orders. Harry and Hermione do what he says, without question. The pieces that are off the board now, fought in the First War. We believe that those pieces are James Potter having been the Bishop, Harry taking his place. The Rook (castle) having been Alice Longbottom, Hermione taking her place, and Frank Longbottom as the Knight, now being played by Ron.

As a common image in many English stories and histories (Le Morte d'Arthur, etc.), it is often a knight that helps to defend and in turn is provided for by the castle he defends. They are a linked pair of images and ideas, much like the Longbottoms are linked in marrige and the way Ron and Hermione are linked in their relationship. The Bishop, on the other hand, is independent, like Harry is.

6)

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

The first move is a white pawn, forward two spaces. This is a standard move, as it was explained to ix by a couple expert chess players and easily found references online.

This pawn is playing against our heroes, the side of good, and on the side of Voldemort (symbolized by the white pieces). It's likely a stand-in for Quirrel: The first move is the break-in at Gringotts in an attempt to capture the Stone, the second is setting the Troll on Hogwarts during the Halloween feast. 

**The next four paragraphs are key**:

7-10)

Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?

Pieces and players are being "placed" and sent into action, ready to do their roles. As the man in charge, Ron directs the others. Harry trusts Ron, but he is scared about the outcome, just like Harry is scared in the first years of his life at Hogwarts.

"Harry -- move diagonally four squares to the right."

Harry is set on his course by the man in charge. Making the _right_ decision, he follows through as directed, without question, in a diagonal to his goal. 

Harry's moves are layered in meaning beyond the chess board. This could be interpreted as four righteous decisions - the first four people he meets at on his way to Hogwarts. However, we think that the four moves are representative of the first years of Harry's life at Hogwarts. (Note: The Bishop can move unlimited number of spaces strictly indiagonals. The moves described in the text are legal moves in chess.)

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

Notice that the first major piece we see fall (others may have fallen first) is the Black Knight, taken down by the White Queen. If the chess game played by the trio is a metaphor for the second war, this casualty (the loss of the first Black Knight) represents Sirius Black. The piece that takes out the Knight is the White Queen, which we believe must be Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken.

Ron, the Player directing the game, tells Harry that the sacrifice of the Knight was necessary. They cannot make it through the game (war) without casualties. Juxtapose this to what Dumbledore tells Harry in his office at the end of OotP. "It is _my_ fault that Sirius died," said Dumbledore clearly. (US OotP Ch 37 Pg 825) 

11)

"Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

This move clears the way for Hermione to take out the White Bishop. Draco Malfoy, perhaps? In the books, Draco is set up as Harry's opposite. What Harry could have been had he grown up in the wizarding world and accepted a spot in Slytherin. If Harry is a Black Bishop, we believe Draco is a White Bishop. Hermione taking him out may not actually be Hermione killing Draco. We just donÕt see that in her character. However, we do see Hermione frequently taking Draco down a peg or two.(US CoS: remark about buying their way into Quidditch, US PoA: the slap at making fun of Hagrid, US GoF: the scare tactic of calling out for Prof. Moody, US OotP: Telling him to shut up US OotP: reporting him for his abuses as a Prefect.) 

Another possibility is that Hermione may take Draco to the side of good. In OotP, she is a strong proponent of inter-house relations, and even defends the possible inclusion of Slytherin to Harry and Ron. Though neither ix nor LL are Draco/Hermione shippers, we suspect that there is SOMETHING going on there that Harry isnÕt aware of. 

12)

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.

In this passage we see what JKR has been telling us over and over again: _"...there are deaths, more deaths coming..."_ This passage tells us to expect these deaths on the side of the Black pieces, some of them may be the boggarts Molly Weasley sees in OotP. (US OotP Chp9 Pg 176)

Also, Ron, as the Knight, has to both take White pieces and to keep Harry and Hermione safe. We see one of the two occasions in PP/SS when in the girls lavatory Ron "only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger," (US SS Chp 10 Pg 218-219), and he takes out the Troll on all Hallows Eve.

The second of the two occurrences, where Ron has a hand in physically noticing in time that his two friends are in danger, has yet to be revealed in futures books or highlighted in current canon by readers of the series.

Finally, Ron goes on, taking out possibly the same number of the white pieces as black ones that are out of the game. Then...

13)

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think -- let me think..."

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me -- that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

Ron realizes the game is nearly won. It's pointed out to us he wants to be allowed to _think_. This is not just JKR telling us this, but Ron himself says it aloud. This is a clue as she makes a point of having one of her important characters state this, but also Ron isn't known for _thinking_. 

The White Queen, Bellatrix turns to him, knowing she can take him out if he makes a particular move, knowing that by attacking Ron, she may draw Harry out and thus give her the advantage to end the game. Her overconfidence will be her undoing, because, as we know, Harry stands his ground as Ron is taken out of the game. 

The only way to win the game is for Ron to let himself be taken by the White Queen so that Harry is free to checkmate the White King. With this as a metaphor, we predict that Ron will sacrifice himself to the fate Bellatrix has for him. 

14)

"But --"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron --"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!".

The marked hesitation on Harry's part here, marks a full departure from his full cooperation without question at the beginning of the game, an indicator or foreshadowing in the game of Harry's change of character that comes later in the series as seen in OotP.

It's possible there is more to this passage with regards to Snape, the issue of speed, and the mention of the Stone.

15)

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor - Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Now, JKR tells us plainly there is no alternative.

Even when it's time for Ron to make his final move as the Knight, he is still giving direction to his players as to what to do after the game is done. Ron is determined to take his action and follow through on it. He sustains his blow to the head and is dragged to one side by the White Queen. Where will the White Queen take Ron after she strikes him? 

JKR points out to us that he looks _as if he'd been knocked out.. _

The first Knight, Sirius, doesn't fall the same way the second one does:

"The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown."(US SS Chp 10 Pg 218-219)

With the second Knight, Ron, the scenario goes thusly: 

"She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor ... the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out."(US SS Chp 10 Pg 218-219)

A lot of people have looked at the above as evidence that Ron is going to die, that he will sacrifice himself for Harry in that good old fashioned best friend/side kick way. We think that is too easy. Ron will live, but more one that later...

16)

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.

Harry's last move. We feel this move is symbolic of the last three books. Harry's first move (to move four spaces to the right) is symbolic of the first four books. The Bishop moves a total of seven spaces, a completely legal move in chess. The exact number of years a student stays at Hogwarts as shown by each book in the Harry Potter series. 

Harry's fifth year, the fifth square on the chess board the Bishop moves along, the change of direction on the chess board is to the left, a sinister or darker direction (something we see in Harry in OotP with abundance).

This move to the left can be seen as one that brings balance to his first four righteous moves/years from earlier in the game/school years. 

Going left, Harry takes a very different turn in terms of his outlook, attitude, and position in the war as seen in OotP. Before OotP, Harry was unquestioning, largely in the dark. Now, he knows his where he stands and is proactive. He is questioning authority, even Dumbledore. He is taking a pro-active stance in forming D.A., lashing out at fellow classmates (friends and foes), challenging his Prof. etc.. Because of the Prophecy, Harry is aware of his new direction.

In summary of Harry's piece, his Bishop has moved a total of seven spaces, four to the right, three to the left, leaving him in a position to checkmate the White King chess piece. Each of these seven moves represents a single year of Harry's seven at Hogwarts. 

17)

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's --?"

"He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"

Checkmate. The three of them have won the game. They remanning players move forward with one last look back at Ron, wondering about his state of being. Here, it's Harry who reassures both himself and Hermione and then pushes forward to what the next task will be. 

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone 

Chp16 pg 281-284: Full text of passage. 

So what's next? Weasley is Our King 


	2. Knight2King2of4

The Curious Dual Role of Ron in the Chess Game - Knight to King 

What is so interesting about this game is that Ron actually plays *two* roles. He is both the Knight, fighting in the war, and the metaphorical player, giving the orders, when, as we all know, Dumbledore is the one calling the shots, directing the troops in the larger game (the war). Dumbledore is the metaphorical chess player in the war on the side of good. If he is a piece in the game (and he most certainly is), he is the King. However, in the game the trio plays, it is RON who directs all the action. It is Ron who is the metaphorical player. How do we reconcile this? 

Rowling gives us the answer in _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_:

**Weasley is Our King**

The metaphorical player in the game of chess is the King. His actual physical moves are limited, but if he is taken out of the game (checkmate), the game is over. Kings are leaders, they give the orders, and they direct the war, just as Ron does on the chess board. However, the catchy little ditty by an unctuous Slytherin aside, Ronald Weasley does not, on the surface at least, appear to play the part of the King in the series.

Several people have pointed out how odd it was that Ron didn't make Harry or Hermione the King in the chess game. Not only does Ron have to keep himself along with Harry and Hermione safe, he has to also make sure the King isn't taken out, otherwise the game is over. Wouldn't it be more prudent to defend three pieces instead of four? Yes, of course it would, but prudence was not JKR's intent. Her intent was to construct a metaphor.

Some might argue that if the chess game in PS/SS is a metaphor for the second war, then the King should properly be Harry since without Harry, the game is lost. We do not believe that this is the case. While we it seems as though Harry is the one who must defeat Voldemort, Dumbledore has a back-up in Neville. Neville is the other Black Bishop. While Dumbledore tells Harry that the Prophecy is most definitely about him, we think this is deceiving.

We'd like to point out that only Harry and Neville were seen to handle the Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries. We think this was deliberate. We'd also like to point out that Neville was indeed marked, if indirectly, by Voldemort, when his followers attacked Neville's parents, scarring Neville in another way altogether. Neville is plan B, and therefore, Harry is not the King. He is one of two Bishops. We do believe it is Harry who will ultimately defeat Voldemort (be the piece that takes the White King, as that is how the chess game played out), however, to the game as a whole, he is NOT the King piece -- the game piece is Dumbledore.

If JKR's authorial intent was indeed to use the chess game as a metaphor for the series as a whole (and obviously, we believe that was her intent or we wouldn't be writing this), she assigned the roles in the game to specific characters with a purpose. Harry could not be the King because he is not the King. Same for Hermione. Someone else in the series already plays this role - the leader, the guy running the show, sacrificing his Pawns and Knights when he must, the metaphorical player pitting his pieces against the forces of evil. Of all of the characters we have met so far, the character who most symbolizes the King in chess is, obviously, Albus Dumbledore.

Yet... this is the very same role Ron plays in the chess game as player and leader, while simultaneously playing that of the Knight. Rowling herself tells us Weasley is Our King... what on earth could this possibly mean?

**Ron=Dumbledore**

If the chess game in PS/SS is a metaphor for the series as a whole, and the pieces the characters play a metaphor for their roles in the series, how do we reconcile the fact that Ron Weasley plays, not only the role of the Knight, but also that of the King - the same role played by Albus Dumbledore in the larger war? Pretty simple, really -- Albus Dumbledore is Ron Weasley. 

Rowling is rather predictable in how she introduces various magical concepts to us. She never springs anything on the reader. For instance, we are introduced to the concept of Animagi in chapter one of PS/SS in the form of McGonagall who can turn into a cat, only to have this very same concept used once more in PoA (the Marauders) and GoF (Rita Skeeter). We are introduced to the polyjuice potion in CoS with the trio's fruitless attempt to prove that Draco Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin, only to later have it revealed to be crucial to the plot of GoF with Barty Crouch Jr. posing as Mad Eye Moody. We are introduced to

the properties of the phoenix in CoS, and we see them displayed once again in GoF. In CoS, we are introduced to the house elves and their plight, and these downtrodden magical beings take on even more importance in GoF and OotP. In OotP, we meet a Metamorphmagus... does anyone want to bet against a repeat of this one? 

We could go on (parseltongue, prophecies, dreams, magical moving portraits, chocolate frog cards, chess, etc.), but as observant readers already know, JKR doesn't simply use these concepts and toss them aside. She recycles. 

In PoA, we are introduced to the concept of time travel with the Time Turner. So far, we have yet to find another example. It would not be like JKR to introduce us to something (especially something so big) and not bring it back into the plot with even greater significance. She has, however, given us a subtle reminder of time travel with the time room in the Department of Mysteries. In a 2000 interview, when asked if Harry would travel in time again, JKR's answer was 'Not telling!' Time travel is coming back... and it will be instrumental to the plot. What does this have to do with Ron, Dumbledore and the chess game? Everything. 

Ron, our loyal Knight, will become a time traveler. He will be sent back in time to some point in the 19th century to live out the rest of his days at Albus Dumbledore, our venerable King. The exact mechanics of

his journey in time are unclear, though we do believe it is unavoidable, and that it will in fact be the very move that enables Harry's eventual defeat of Voldemort (checkmate) and that it will also have something to do with the White Queen (Bellatrix). Though you may think us a couple of nutters for making such an outrageous claim, we do indeed have evidence. Lots and lots of evidence. 

_1. Uncanny Resemblance_

We often joke about how unobservant Harry is, and though he hasn't made the connection we have, he does indeed dutifully describe for us both Ron and Dumbledore's appearance. Harry describes both Ron and Dumbledore as tall, thin and possessing a long nose (though Dumbledore's has been broken a couple of times). These three characteristics are repeated by Harry when he meets either of these two characters for the first time in almost every book. 

Dumbledore is described as having long fingers, while Ron is described as having large hands and feet. Unless Ron is a mutant, having large hands would also mean having long fingers. Dumbledore is very, very old with white hair when we first meet him, but when Harry visits a fifty years younger Dumbledore in Riddle's diary, he is described as having auburn hair. In other words, Dumbledore was once a redhead just like Ron. While we know Dumbledore has sparkling blue eyes, JKR has very curiously neglected to have Harry mention Ron's eye color for five whole books now. We know nearly everyone else's eye color, including Arthur Weasley's (blue), but we don't know that of Harry's best friend. 

Dumbledore's one other key characteristic, the scar above his left knee, is mentioned in the first chapter of PS/SS. While Harry hasn't noticed any tell tale scars shaped like the London Underground on Ron, we do indeed know from PoAthat Ron has sustained a serious injury to his left leg. Though JKR curiously, and very pointedly, dances around which leg exactly it is that Ron has broken, we have figured out that it is indeed his left leg. When Sirius conjures the manacles and attaches Peter to Ron and Lupin, he attaches Peter to Ron's left side. If you are injured and using only one crutch, you would, of course, use the crutch on the side of your injuredleg. Sirius, of course, shackled Peter to Ron's injured side - his left. 

_2. How sweet it is..._

Though on the surface Ron and Dumbledore seem to have little in common, they both have a great love for sweets. When we first meet Dumbledore, he offers a lemon sherbet to Professor McGonagall. When we first meet Ron, he introduces Harry to the wonderful world of wizarding candy. In PoA, he goes into a blissful trance describing to Harry and Hermione the wondrous confections to be found at Honeydukes. 

In CoS we learn that Dumbledore likes to use the names of sweets as his office password. In PoA, Ron suggests to Hermione that they bring Harry back some Cockroach Clustersfrom Honeydukes. In GoF, when Harry returns to the castle to alert Dumbledore of Crouch Sr.'s strange appearance on the grounds of Hogwarts, he must guess the password to Dumbledore's office. He goes through a whole list of normal sweets,but to Harry's disbelief, the password ends up being, you guessed it, Cockroach Clusters. 

But that is not all... In the last chapter of PS/SS, Dumbledore tells Harry that he lost his taste for Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans after eating a vomit flavored bean in his youth. There is one problem with this... Bertie Bott was born in 1935. While Dumbledore is over 150 years old, and for him, 'youth' is a relative term, he couldnot have possibly eaten a Bertie Bott Every Flavor Bean until the 1950's, most likely even later, making him well over a hundred years old. Even in Dumbledore terms, that is hardly his 'youth'. Before anyone makes the brilliant observation that the Bertie Bott card isn't canon, be sure toread the statement from Wizards of the Coast concerning their collaboration with JK Rowling on the making of the cards posted to The Leaky Cauldron. 

_3. "Dumbledore knows pretty much everything anyway" -- JKR_

Dumbledore really does seem to know 'pretty much everything', even for a very wise old man with an army of pictographic spies. 

In PS/SS, he knows _precisely_ what Ron saw in the Mirror of Erised and exactly _why_ Ron saw what he did. He tells Harry that there are other ways of being invisible, but are we to believe that Dumbledore was really waiting around every night for Harry to show up in front of the Mirror? He either knew exactly when to show up, or he was there the first time as Ron. When Harry asks Dumbledore what he himself sees in the Mirror,Dumbledore tells him he sees himself holding a pair of socks. What is it that Ron's motheris always giving him, but he never appreciates? Socks. 

Dumbledore also knows the exact moment to show up and save Harry from Quirrelmort. In fact, Harry leads us to believe that Dumbledore orchestrated the entire thing. Now, we know Dumbledore lets Harry do some things he wouldn't let an ordinary student do, but isn't keeping a Pawn of Voldemort around for an entire school year a very dangerous thing to do? Why yes it is... unless, of course, Dumbledore knew that everything would turn out okay in the end. 

In CoS, we learn that Dumbledore never really trusted Tom Riddle, even before the murder of Moaning Myrtle. In the Chamber scene, Riddle tells Harry that Dumbledore_never_ liked him as much as the other teachers. When Fudge comes for Hagrid and Lucius for Dumbledore, Harry and Ron are hiding under the invisibility cloak. Dumbledore knows exactly where they are, and gives Harry a message. Not only that, but does anyone else think it odd that Dumbledore wasn't worried about what might happen to Harry after he leaves? Once again, Dumbledore sets Harry up to complete a very dangerous task. Either Dumbledore is truly mad, or he knows how it all turns out. 

In PoA, Dumbledore very readily accepts the innocence of Sirius Black. One might come to the conclusion that he knew Sirius was innocent all along. In fact, many have. The only testimony he hears comes from Sirius himself (a convicted felon). He has already made up his mind to send Harry and Hermione back in time before they get a chance to tell their side of the story. When Harry and Hermione do go back in time, you will notice that every single thing happens in exactly the same way both times. There was never a time through in which Buckbeak was killed or Harry didn't cast his Patronus. JKR is even very careful to put in the door slamming from the second time through in the first time through. Yet... it is Dumbledore himself, as his 'first time' self, who ends up saving Buckbeak - he distracts everyone inside Hagrid's hut so that Harry and Hermione can make off with Buckbeak. Later, when Harry tells Dumbledore about Trelawney's prophecy, Dumbledore is not in the least bit phased. In fact, Harry is surprised he can take it so calmly. In addition, Dumbledore seems to be very adamant about Peter getting away being a 'good thing'. Oh sure, Peter owes him a life debt, but Dumbledore is just a little too convinced that it is all for the best. 

GoF is a special case. Though we do find one really huge piece of evidence of Dumbledore's ability to know what he really shouldn't, we think that this was one of the times that Ron/DD may have actually tried to change the course of events. He goes to great lengths to prevent the younger students from entering the Tournament (the age line). He goes to great lengths to find the most trustworthy DADA professor possible (for only one year, and as a special favor) - Mad Eye Moody, someone he knows really, really well. Still, in the end, we believe the end result was exactly the same (except, perhaps, the death of Cedric). So, what are we left with? Crouching Death Eater, Hidden Moody. When Dumbledore discovers that Moody is an imposter, he shows up with Snape and McGonagall in Moody's office. He tells McGonagall to go fetch Padfoot. He tells Snape to go fetch Winky and some Veritaserum. Oh wait... go fetch Winky? How did he know to fetch Winky? Barty Crouch Jr. still looked like Moody. Perhaps Dumbledore really is a super genius, and figured out there had to be a connection to the Crouches. However, Crouch Jr. was thought to be dead and Crouch Sr. was present with Moody the night the names came out of the Goblet. Oh wait, you say, perhaps Dumbledore suspected Crouch only began impersonating Moody AFTER Halloween. Or maybe, just maybe, he was able to figure out that Crouch Jr. wasn't really dead between the maze and Moody's office. Maybe... but he tells Harry 'you never knew the real Mad Eye Moody'. Everything else aside... this is something he could not possibly know with any certainty. 

In OotP, Dumbledore knows from the very beginning to avoid Harry's gaze. While three years have passed for us, only one month has passed for Harry and Dumbledore. How does Dumbledore know when to begin avoiding Harry? He avoids his gaze from the very first time they meet in the courtroom (despite telling Harry later that he sensed something behind his eyes - he never looked Harry in the eye, something Harry was exceedingly peeved about). This is BEFORE Dumbledore knows about the dreams. This is BEFORE the attack on Arthur Weasley. Dumbledore absolutely can not know that Voldemort is already in Harry's mind. Later on, when the attack on Arthur does take place, Dumbledore knows the precise questions to ask Harry about the nature of the attack. We now know that Dumbledore is a Legilimens, however... Dumbledore could not have used this on Harry as he could not make eye contact for fear Voldemort would 'spy' on him. Speaking of which... the issue couldn't have been spying as such. After all, Harry is still observing Dumbledore. He still hangs out at Order headquarters. He still knows the identities of most of the members of the Order. While he is left largely in the dark (with disastrous consequences), he still observes much that would be useful for Voldemort and his followers. Dumbledore does, however, give us a hint as to what it is he doesn't want Voldemort to see:

"I was sure that if he realized that our relationship was - or had ever been - closer than that of headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me."(US OotP Ch27 pg 828)

Now, we do know that Dumbledore really loves Harry. He tells him as much in that same scene. However, I find it curious that JKR would emphasize (by placing it between dashes) the phrase 'or had ever been'. It is not as simple as Dumbledore not wanting Voldemort knowing his true feelings for Harry and therefore be able to use them against him. After all, Voldemort now knows that, and his not knowing that ended up putting Harry and even more danger (the possession in the MoM). No, the significance is in the phrase 'or had ever been'. The truth is, as far as Harry is concerned, they really aren't any closer than Headmaster and pupil. Why was that line referring to a past relationship even there? Harry's relationship to Dumbledore has been constant all through the series. Dumbledore orchestrates hoops for Harry to jump through, Harry jumps, they chat about it at the end of the school year. We believe this 'had ever been' refers to Dumbledore's prior relationship to Harry as his best friend Ron. Dumbledore, of course, would not want Voldemort to know of this prior relationship because that would make Ron a target as well, messing up EVERYTHING. 

_4. Foreshadowing_

Ron makes it very clear on several occasions that he _hates_ the color maroon. Could it be because he will eventually be 'marooned' in time? 

In OotP, Ron is nearly strangled by some purple wizard robes while cleaning up Grimmauld Place. Who do we know wears purple robes? Dumbledore, of course. 

Socks are a running theme throughout the series. They are used as symbols of freedom, redemption and love. Ron, however, doesn't ever really fully appreciate the socks his mother gives him. In PoA, he tosses them aside to gush over Harry's Firebolt. In GoF, he gives his Christmas socks to Dobby. Socks are also seen attached to Molly specifically - she is seen fussing over socks, looking for socks, folding socks, packing socks. And if Molly wasn't mother figure enough, Tonks tells Harry her own mother has this special knack for magically folding socks. In fact, the first time we see Harry, he is in his cupboard, looking for a pair of socks (though he has to knock the spiders off of them, not having a mother to fuss over them for him). Dobby is set free with a sock. Hermione knits socks for the house elves. Dumbledore, the man who clearly has all of the fame, power, respect, possessions and wisdom one could hope for in a lifetime, sees himself holding a pair of wooly socks in the Mirror of Erised. If you read this scene with Dumbledore being Ron in mind, it takes on a whole new and really huge significance Ron indeed becomes greater than all of his brothers, yet as an old man, he is still wistful for those socks his mother gave him and he never fully appreciated. 

Ron's vision in the Mirror of Erised is rather curious. He sees himself as Head Boy, Quidditch Captain and holding both the House and Quidditch cups. We know that Ron has this uncanny knack for predicting the future. If, indeed, he is a Seer as many suspect, might he able to see his future in the Mirror? As of OotP, he seems to be on his way to this future - Prefect (it's the first step towards Head Boy!) and he is on the Quidditch team. Currently, he plays Keeper, a very appropriate position for a Knight, guarding a castle. If he does indeed end up becoming Quidditch Captain, he would also get to play out that dual role once more on the Quidditch field - Knight, as Keeper and King, as Captain. 

In a few different places in the series, Ron is shown to hero-worship Dumbledore. Of all of these scenes, the most striking is at the end of PS/SS where Ron is extremely impressed with Dumbledore's orchestrating the rescuing of the Stone. 

"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?" 

"Well," Hermione exploded, "If he did - I mean to say - that's terrible - you could have been killed." 

"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..." 

"Yea, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly.

In OotP, Draco composes a lovely song - Weasley is Our King. If that isn't foreshadowing, I don't know what is. One line in particular is given significance by Draco. He is heard singing it loudly during the game by Harry, and Draco later quotes it in italics - _born in a bin_. While Draco likes to make fun of Ron's poverty, the phrase has a double meaning. 'Bin' is also a prefix meaning 'double' or 'two' - think 'binary'. Was Ron 'born' twice? Leading a double life? Is Draco trying to tell us something important? 

Movie!Canon, but worth mentioning anyway... in Dumbledore's office on the CoS DVD, there is a hidden Easter egg that reveals a portrait on the wall of two wizard chess masters. One wizard is in red, the other in green. The floor beneath them is checkered like a chess board. As the camera pans towards the picture, ominous music is played. In another part of Dumbledore's office, there is a portrait of Dumbledore (there are two Dumbledore portraits in all) where he is depicted in maroon robes standing next to a chess set.

1US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 1Pg 8

Dumbledore's Description

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

back to essay

2US Chamber of Secrets: Ch 13 Pg 245 

Dumbledore's description from Riddle's Diary

They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase.

back to essay

3US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 6 Pg 93

Ron's 1st Description

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

back to essay

4US Order of the Phoenix: Ch 4 Pg 62

Ron's most recent description

'Let him breathe, Hermione,' said Ron, grinning as he closed the door behind Harry. He seemed to have grown several more inches during their month apart, making him taller and more gangly looking than ever, though the long nose, bright red hair and freckles were the same.

back to essay

B) Scars, Sweets, and Secrets

5)US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 1Pg 15

Dumbledore's scar above his left knee

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well -- give him here, Hagrid -- we'd better get this over with."

back to essay

6US Prisoner Of Azkaban: Ch 17 pg 335

Ron breaks his leg

All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground -- but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

back to essay

7)US Prisoner Of Azkaban: Ch 17 pg 377

Evidence of which of Ron's legs is broken

"And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."

" I'll do it," said Lupin.

" And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.

Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.

back to essay

8)US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 17 Pg 300

Vomit Flavored Bean

" ...I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomitflavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them -- but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

back to essay 

9 US Prisoner of Azkaban: Ch 10 Pg 197

Mention of Cockroach Clusters:1

"How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.

"Definitely not," said Harry.

Ron nearly dropped the jar.

back to essay

10)US Goblet of Fire: Ch29 Pg 579 

Love of Sweets and 2nd mention of Cockroach Clusters

Harry had walked right past the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledores office without noticing. He blinked, looked around, realized what he had done, and retraced his steps, stopping in front of it. Then he remembered that he didn't know the password.

"Sherbet lemon?" he tried tentatively.

The gargoyle did not move.

"Okay," said Harry, staring at it, "Pear Drop. Er - Licorice Wand. Fizzing Whizbee. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans ... oh no, he doesn't like them, does he?... oh just open, can't you?" he said angrily. "I really need to see him, its urgent!"

The gargoyle remained immovable.

Harry kicked it, achieving nothing but an excruciating pain in his big toe.

"Chocolate Frog!" he yelled angrily, standing on one leg. "Sugar Quill! Cockroach Cluster!"

The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside. Harry blinked. "Cockroach Cluster?" he said, amazed. "I was only joking. ..."

back to essay

11)US Order of the Phoenix: Ch 5 Pg 95

Chocolate Frog-Cards

'But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog Cards,' said Bill, grinning.

back to essay

12)US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 12 Pg 213

Dumbledore's knowledge of Ron's desires

"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

" I didn't know it was called that, Sir."

" But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"

" It -- well -- it shows me my family --"

" And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."

" How did you know --?"

" I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently.

back to essay

13)1US Prisoner Of Azkaban: Ch pg

Secret Keeping 

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

" Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself... and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

14)US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 12 Pg 201

Ron's presents from his Mom

"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's _always_ maroon."

back to essay

15)US Sorcerer's Stone: Ch Pg 

Dumbledore's deepest desire

"Sir -- Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

" Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

" What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

" I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

Harry stared.

" One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

back to essay

16)US Prisoner Of Azkaban: Ch 11 Pg 222

"Another sweater from Mum... maroon _again_... see if you've got one."

(then later)

"What's that?" said Ron, looking over, a freshly unwrapped pair of maroon socks in his hand.

back to essay

17)Order of the Phoenix: Ch 9 Pg 168

Ron's Prefect Badge and use of socks

Only when Fred and George dropped in and offered to attach it to his forehead with a Permanent Sticking Charm did he wrap it tenderly in his maroon socks and lock it in his trunk.

18)Order of the Phoenix: Ch 6 Pg

Ron's Future robes

Mundungus redeemed himself slightly in Mrs Weasley's eyes by rescuing Ron from an ancient set of purple robes that had tried to strangle him when he removed them from their wardrobe.

back to essay

Fancy a game of Chess? Chess Pieces & Play


	3. Knight2King3of4

**Chess, pieces of play, links, & resources**

If Ron plays the dual role of Knight and King, what does everyone else play? We have a few guesses, some better than others. Some are explicit in the text (Harry and Hermione as Bishop and Rook), others seem very obvious (Voldemort, Sirius, Bellatrix), and others still we think are good guesses (Neville, Lily, Draco, the Longbottoms, etc.).

First, let's start with the explicitly stated in the text:

**_The Explicit_**

****

Hermione as Rook (Castle)

On the chessboard the Rook moves in a straight line, horizontally or vertically and can't "jump over" other pieces. Looking at this behavior, it becomes quite clear why JKR chose this piece to stand for Hermione. The Rook may move straight up and down or side to side only. Straight and narrow. That's our Hermione. There is some additional symbolism in the relationship between the Knight and the Castle in terms of medieval history (Think Lancelot and Gwenevere). The Knight defends the Castle, and the Castle provides for the Knight. Though they often fight amongst themselves, we see Ron (the Knight) jumping to Hermione's defense all throughout the series, most especially against Draco. 

The Rook is an end-game piece, as its moves are limited in the beginning (blocked by other pieces). The Rook is typically used to protect the King (castling), and then is used more aggressively towards the end of the game to take out other pieces, much like the Queen. Similarly, we see Hermione playing things close and conservative early on, but becoming more aggressive and powerful striking down opponents (Umbridge, Marietta) later in the series. 

Harry as Bishop

The Bishop moves in straight diagonals. He may not jump other pieces. He doesn't move along the vertical and horizontal lines like Hermione, his moves are oblique -- indirect. This is fitting for Harry because, as Snape is fond of pointing out, the rules do not apply to him, as he gets around them so many times. The Bishop is also a religious symbol, a seeker of enlightenment, devoting his life to a single cause. The series is most certainly about Harry's journey from na•ve boy to full fledged wizard, with the defeat of Voldemort as his primary mission. He can do nothing else until this is done (_one cannot live while the other survives_[US OotP Ch37 pg841]). He is the soul of the books and is the Good to Voldemort's Evil -- the piece is fitting. 

Much like the Rook, the Bishop grows more powerful as the endgame nears. Also quite fitting for Harry. 

Ron as Knight

The Knight moves very differently from all other pieces. His moves are erratic. On the chess board the Knight moves in an "L" shape with one move in one direction and the next two at a 90 degree angle, allowing it to "jump over" pieces as it moves. He doesn't move in straight lines and he can hop over other pieces. He is an excellent mid-game piece because he can maneuver well with lots of other pieces on the board. In an endgame situation, his indirect movements are a liability because he cannot move in straight lines it takes him more moves to cover the board. At the end of the game, it is better to have two Bishops than a Knight and a Bishop or two Knights. 

In medieval lore, the Knight is the warrior: he is brave, loyal and perhaps a bit foolhardy. 

**_The Obvious_**

****

Voldemort as King

On the side of evil, Voldemort is the game piece. If he is taken out for good, the war is over. Similarly, if the King is taken out, the game is over. The King is also the metaphorical player- he represents the person playing the game. Lose your King and you lose your game. The King is the leader, and obviously, Voldemort is the leader/player orchestrating the moves of the characters on the side of evil. We can really see no other choice for him. 

Sirius as Knight

Sirius is the first major character we see taken out in the books and the Knight is the first major piece we see taken out of the game. That particular point in the game parallels Sirius's death in OotP so eerily, that we really see no other choice for him. He is loyal, brave and reckless with an erratic move that serves well mid-game, but not endgame very much a Knight. 

Bellatrix as Queen

The Queen is a powerful piece on the board, perhaps THE most powerful in terms of her ability to take out other pieces. She can move unlimited spaces in any direction. Bellatrix is shown to be a very powerful and very ruthless witch- a close parallel to the role of the White Queen in the chess game. The White Queen takes out the Black Knight in the game, much like Bellatrix takes out Sirius in OotP. Bellatrix was clearly the leader on the mission that incapacitated the Longbottoms; she is also Voldemort's right hand woman. We really see no other choice for her. 

**_The Good Guesses_**

****

Lily as Queen

Yes, we know that Lily is dead, but her presence is still felt. The Queen is probably the single most powerful piece on the board. Yet, the Queen on the Black side goes completely unmentioned in the game the trio plays. While on the surface McGonagall seems a more obvious choice for Queen, it is actually Lily who enabled the temporary defeat of Voldemort and whose love still protects Harry pretty much anywhere he goes. For this reason, we believe that Lily is the Black Queen and in the second war- powerful, but silent. 

Neville as Bishop

We feel fairly confident that Neville plays the second Bishop on the Black side. He is the other child in the Prophecy with the Potential to defeat Voldemort. While Dumbledore seems pretty adamant in telling Harry he is 'the one', we disagree. Only Neville and Harry are seen to hold the Prophecy in the final showdown in OotP [US OotP Ch 35 pg 804]. We do not think this an accident. It is a clue. In addition, having two Bishops towards the end of the game provides a very, very powerful advantage. While the Bishop has a wide range on the diagonal of his color, he must stay on his color. With two Bishops, the board is completely covered. We see this played out in OotP Harry and Neville teaming up against the Death Eaters. So while we do believe that Harry will ultimately defeat Voldemort as shown in the chess game the trio plays, we believe that Neville is Dumbledore's plan B. Preferably, he would like to keep them both until the endgame. 

Lupin as Rook

In drawing parallels between the Marauders and the trio, Lupin most closely resembles Hermione. He plays it straight and narrow, he is studious and he is made Prefect to keep James and Sirius in line. In OotP, we see this very much in his interactions with Sirius even as an adult. Remus Lupin is the Rook to Sirius's Knight, in much the same way Hermione is the Rook to Ron's Knight. If you would like to draw conclusions regarding shipping S/R... please do. We did.

Draco as Bishop

Draco is set up from the very beginning as Harry's opposite. In PS/SS, Dumbledore even compares Harry and Draco to James and Snape. Hermione is said to take out a White Bishop, and we believe this to be Draco for reasons stated earlier.

**_Why Harry is not the King_**

****

Quite a few people have proposed that Harry is the King. This, however, is impossible as a King absolutely cannot checkmate another King it is against the rules of chess. This is why Dumbledore is the only one Voldemort ever feared and also why Dumbledore himself cannot defeat Voldemort. Harry can indeed defeat Voldemort; therefore he is not the King. In addition, Dumbledore has a spare Bishop in Neville. Without Harry, the game is still not lost.

**_The Chessboard_**

****

Below are two illustrations of the chessboard and some of the pieces disscussed above. Some pieces not disscussed are included as well as two illustrated moves.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are included as a Knight and Rook for the side of Voldemort. Seeing the corrolation of the other pairs of Knights and Rooks, this pair on the side of evil might also be included in with the Good Guesses group.

The spaces of Harry's Bishop are numbered and color coded for each one of Harry's years Hogwarts. In the passage analysed, JKR is explicit and takes care to show us that this piece is _the only one _to be given a specific number of spaces to move.

Sirius, being the first Knight to be _taken_, makes his moves according to the rules of chess. Much disscussion with those in the know of the game helped us deduce the posible paths his Knight might take to be in a position where the White Queen would take him. What's truly revealing in analyzing these moves is where Sirius path takes him and the correlations the moves have to each of Harry's 3rd, 4th, and 5th school years.

In his first half of Sirius' first move he ends up just under Harry's thrid space/year, indicated by a 3. The second half of the "L" shaped move takes Sirius _through_ Harry's third space/year. As we all know, Harry's thrid year at Hogwarts deals centraly with Sirius Black as told in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban.

The next "L" shaped move takes Sirius, up a square that _sits_ next to Harry's 4th space/year and becomes the turning point in that "L"shaped move taking him away from Harry's path on the board and ending him up on the spot where "The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown."(US PS Ch 16 pg 281-284)

When we originally thought of who was which piece, for a while James was slated as the Knight next to the Rook (Alice) and Bishop (Frank). That didn't make any sense though, for the reasons involving the Longbottoms. So we set him in Harry's place... but he still didn't seem right.

Then, hours before we posted this theory to the public, sbbo made an observation about the relationship of between the Longbottoms and how they reflect the Potters.

Both pairs were top characters in the first war, both couples defied Voldemort three times, both had children that fit the prophecy, and when James fell, Sirius took his place. Harry and Neville were in both games all along!

(We included other variations of chess piece placements, including sbbo's that will be uploaded later on when they get coded.)

Have questions? Thirsty for more? Mad Props?


	4. Knight2King4of4

**FAQ**

**What about Aberforth? How can Ron be Dumbledore, when Dumbledore has a brother?**

Here are a few possibilities...

1. Aberforth Dumbledore is simply Aberforth Dumbledore. When Ron goes back in time, he tries to look up Albus Dumbledore (the only person he knows who is alive at that time). Of course, there is no Albus Dumbledore, but he finds the Dumbledore family and the existing Aberforth who essentially becomes his adopted brother.

2. Aberforth Dumbledore is Fred/George/Percy/Bill/Charlie. One of Ron's brothers goes back with him.

3. Aberforth is the 'missing' Weasley brother. The one that some people claim was born between Charlie and Percy. The Missing Weasley Brother theory has been batted around quite a bit. There was a DE attack on the Weasley home during the first war (remember what Arthur Weasley says about coming home to a Dark Mark hanging over your house). One of the Weasley kids was killed. In this version, Ron, on his way back in time, tries to save this brother... tries to change time, but, in fact, creates the whole missing Weasley thing. He takes this brother who supposedly died with him. The brother becomes Aberforth.

4. Aberforth is simply a friend or colleague Ron/Dumbledore knew in the past or a Weasley ancestor

**What about the NEWT? **

In OotP, the trio witnesses Griselda Marchbanks telling Umbridge that she had personally given Dumbledore his Charms and Transfiguration exams and he had done things with a wand she had never seen before. 

First of all, the NEWTs are not regular Hogwarts exams; they are qualifying exams, rather like the SAT. It is entirely possible that Ron didn't take them at Hogwarts at all. OR he did indeed go back to Hogwarts as a student. Maybe he just showed up? Maybe he enrolled? I don't think this disproves the theory. Ron witnessed what Marchbanks told Umbridge. He knew he had to take the exam. He found a way. 

Second of all, the bit about Dumbledore doing things with a wand she had never seen before actually does support the theory. Even though, at this point in time, Ron is no where near as powerful as Dumbledore, he does have the benefit of over a hundred years in magical advancements. He may very well have used spells that had not been invented in the time he went back. Hence, doing things that Marchbanks had never seen before. 

**If Dumbledore is Ron, why does he let Sirius/Cedric/the Potters die, why does he put Harry in danger, why does he let Sirius go to Azkaban, why does he let Peter get away, etc., etc.?**

It is unclear whether or not Ron/DD can really change anything. The one example of time travel we have seen so far (in PoA), nothing at all was changed. Everything happened exactly the same way both times. 

Assuming Ron /DD can change events, he still has to be extremely careful. If the Potters live, Voldemort isn't defeated the first time and Harry isn't 'marked' to defeat him the second time. Who knows how long the first war would have lasted and how many would have died without Voldemort being put out of commission by the rebounding Avada Kedavra? He knows he has to get Harry to a certain point in order to defeat Voldemort, so he is forced to make sacrifices. 

Now, we do believe that Ron may indeed have tried to change events, but they backfired. We know he offered to be the Secret Keeper for the Potters, but was turned down. It looks as though he went to great lengths to keep Harry out of the Triwizard Tournament, but things went down exactly the same way. The one exception, we think, is the death of Cedric. We believe that in the first round, Harry may have been the proper Hogwarts champion, that there may have been a completely different DADA professor and that Crouch Jr. may have possibly posed as someone else. 

Even if Dumbledore isn't Ron, we know for a fact that Dumbledore allowed Quirrel to stick around an entire school year possessed by Voldemort. Snape certainly knew, Harry figured out that Dumbledore orchestrated the rescuing of the stone, so Dumbledore also knew. Dumbledore, even if he is not Ron, still did not need any convincing of Sirius' innocence. He likely knew that Sirius was innocent all along. Dumbledore lets these things happen and makes certain sacrifices because he has to. 

But you don't have to take our word for it:

**_JK Rowling: I don't want to say too much but Dumbledore is a very wise man who knows that Harry is going to have to learn a few hard lessons to prepare him for what may be coming in his life. He allows Harry to get into what he wouldn't allow another pupil to do and he also unwillingly permits Harry to confront things he'd rather protect him from. As people who've read the Order of The Phoenix will know; Dumbledore has had to step back from Harry to teach him some of life's harder lessons._**

****

This was from the Prince Albert Hall interview that JKR gave on June

26th, 2003

**Links**

Find these links on the main page of this theory.

**Mad Props**

to fellow Harry Potter fans for help with editing, proofing, feedback, development, chess research, and generally putting up with our madness of the last month and a half!

Hobbit_Guy, for planting the seeds of destruction in the mind of **lizardlaugh** that Ron=DD. 

NetworkGuy, for his patience in explaining /answering questions on chess and saying the magic words that made **ixchelmala**'s head explode with a migraine:"The Bishop moves 4 spaces, then 3 spaces... that's 7 spaces, that's a completely legal move in Chess"

bekkio (editing /devil's advocate), judge7 (chess research / chess-literary development), sbbo (editing-proofing / chess-literary development last minute stroke of genius on second chess board), prncspnut (editing-proofing/ feedback), serpentigena (feedback), airemay (feedback/ development), the folks at the recent hp_california meet ups (feedback), ixchelmala's roommate (feedback/ devil's advocate), chickadilly (feedback and that RON WILL NOT DIE!), lycoris, (who came up with a chess theory about the same time we did), no_remorse, (in the role of devil's advocate), and our respective friends lists aka: D.A.

Additional Props to:

HPFGU (especially the chess folks), TLC (for everything they do), The Lexicon (for the Bertie Bott card and more), Livejournal, Regal Theaters (for allowing us to see the PoA trailer twice in one night), Apple, Diet Coke (and the Diet Vanilla variety), Internet, Cpt.Morgan Jack Sparrow Rum, CoS DVD: Disk Two:Dumbledore's Office, and Parseltongue.

**FINALLY...**

Last yet certainly not least, the mad-genius woman who is cackling in her living room at the havoc she's caused: JKR... Thank you for wrintng this series... you still have us on the edge of our seats!


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